Bubbles
by Hyuchiha Ruki
Summary: Those floating glass spheres that glistened under the moonlit sky always made him feel better. “You see those bubbles, Neji? One day, you’ll be flying free like them. And I’m going to be here, helping you achieve that dream. Bet on it.” NejiTen One-Shot.


**bubblebean07, who's really nice and a good writer, requested this NejiTen one-shot.**

**You guys should read the stories bubblebean07 wrote, too. They're worth reading, I'll say.**

**And a note to bubblebean07: I hope this is good. I hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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The little boy hugged his knees, resting his aching and bandaged forehead on them. He stifled every sob and hiccup but he knew it was a useless attempt.

His lavender eyes were soaked with tears now and all he could do was hide himself amid the shadow of the sidewalk, the part where the busted street lamp was so no one could see him.

Neji Hyuga had just lost his father hours ago.

In his head, he knew that there was no one left to acknowledge him, to tell him that he was a great son… to tell him that he was loved. No mother, no father, no siblings… how cruel can the world be?

But it was his fate. From that sad moment on, as his crying failed to cease, his childish ways had faded off. He knew that the mark on his forehead was a mark that sealed his destiny, just like his father. He'd live the life of a mere branch member, a lower ninja.

Neji let go of his position and straightened his back against the cold metal stand of the busted street lamp, brushing his hand against his eyes in the effort to wipe off the tears he has been letting go of. He mumbled gibberish under his breath as he forced himself to sit up.

Looking around to see if there was anyone around, Neji heaved a sigh of slight relief when he found this part of Konoha almost deserted. Soon, he found himself drowning in self-pity. He'll be suffering from now on, he knew.

Frustrated, he took the bandages wrapped around his curse mark (A/C: Is it considered a curse mark?), ripping them from his above his brows. The bandages stung as they peeled away from his mark, causing him to mutter moans from the sharp pain.

Shaking his head slowly, he looked down at the torn off bandages, watching some of his teardrops fall onto the pavement.

"F-Father…" he mumbled, remembering how his father had always hugged him, comforting him whenever he had cried. But he wasn't here to comfort him and never again.

With this realization, Neji bit his lower lip and buried his face in his hands, once again letting his tears flow from his eyes. Why did nothing seem right now?

But then, he heard a shuffle of footsteps from nearby.

Slightly panicked, Neji lifted his head from his hands then turned to every direction, trying to see who was coming his way. He spoke nothing, not a threat nor a worried statement but his sobs were still echoing about.

"…Huh?" the voice was almost a whisper, seemingly distant. Though, he knew that the person, whoever he or she was, was a few steps away from him since he could sense the person's chakra. He stumbled up from his position, ready to run away from the stranger.

He was ready to go away, running home until the stranger's face came into view as she neared him.

"Hi. What are you doing here at this time of the night?" she simply asked him. It was a girl, the same age as he. Some of her brown hair hung above her eyes and her bright eyes looked at him with a friendly aura.

She appeared to be someone who was from an insignificant clan, not having any clan robes on but plain Chinese-oriented clothes. Her hair was styled in two tiny buns with pink ribbons tightly securing them. Definitely, the girl looked innocent and harmless.

Neji rubbed his eyes and shook his head, mumbling with a slight stutter, "N-Nothing…" He looked away from her as she walked nearer and replied to him, putting her stubby hands on her waist, "It's late, y'know. You should be going home now."

He glanced at her and nodded. But before he could move away, the girl grabbed him by the shoulder and inspected his expression and his features. She perked her head and asked, "Hey, wait a minute. Why are you crying?"

Being snappy, Neji yelped, "Crying? I'm not crying!" He brushed her hand off and pouted at her, crossing his arms across his chest. He threw his head back and gave her a superior expression.

Then, her mouth opened to speak again, "I like your tattoo." Neji's eyes grew and he almost yelled, "Tattoo? I don't have a tattoo!"

The girl laughed and poked his forehead, touching his curse mark, "Then what do you call this? You're pretty lucky. My mommy doesn't want me to have a tattoo, which is unfair and…"

"That's not a tattoo!" he shouted at her, pushing her finger away, "And that hurts!" She watched him turn his back towards her and realized that she was dealing with a touchy kid.

"Oh…" she mumbled, ashamed, "I'm sorry." She stopped there, hoping he'd turn around and smile at her. But he didn't, unfortunately for her. Sighing, she tapped his shoulder and introduced herself with a cheery voice, "I'm Tenten!"

"I didn't ask that, girl." Neji grumbled like a brat, still facing the direction away from her. She huffed angrily and corrected him, "Hey! I just said my name's Tenten! Don't just call me 'girl'!"

There was no answer from him and all he did was try to get away from her until she shoved him to face her and she asked him, nicely and happily complete with an encouraging smile, "You? What's your name?"

He kept the annoyed gaze at her but once he saw her soft eyes, he relaxed his features and mumbled, "…Neji." Satisfied, Tenten let go of him then said, "See? That's not so hard, right?"

Neji looked down, forgetting his harsh impression towards Tenten. She gave him a worried look and asked once again, "Why are you crying, Neji?" With that, Neji gave her a furrowed brow and said sharply, "I'm not crying!"

Tenten rolled her eyes and rubbed her thumb against his wet cheek, saying, "Really? So what's this wet stuff on your cheek? Spit?" Tenten laughed at her own joke, but when she had stopped, she found Neji tearing up again.

"Whoa, hey, Neji! I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better and…" Tenten tried to explain herself, watching Neji's tears streak his chubby cheeks. He said nothing back as he just sniffed and hiccupped.

A soft spot grew in Tenten's heart and she gave Neji a friendly hug, saying, "Aw, Neji's crying. Come here, you little crybaby." Surprisingly, Neji immediately hugged his new companion back, bawling.

'Hm. He's really sad. What could've happened?' Tenten thought as she held Neji in her tight hug. When Neji let go of her, he wiped his eyes once again and sobbed some more. Tenten watched him cry some more until she said, "You know what makes me happy when I'm sad, Neji?"

The little child looked up at the girl he just met seconds ago and asked, shaking, "Wh-What?"

She gave him a beam that seemed to be like an angel's and she happily exclaimed, taking out a bottle from her pouch, "Bubbles!"

Neji looked at the bottle with an arched brow and muttered, "B-Bubbles?" He glared at the ground again, thinking angrily, 'Bubbles? That won't get my father back for me. This girl doesn't know me and we just met but here she goes, trying to make me feel better. Who does she think she is?'

Tenten popped the bottle open, screwing the lid off. She took out a bubble wand from the same pouch then proceeded to dipping it into the bottle of soapy liquid. Soon, she blew through the hoop and Neji found himself staring back at her creations.

The round little spheres flew everywhere, glistening under the moonlight. With awe in his eyes, Neji followed the bubbles with his eyes. Tenten looked at him as he watched the bubbles float about. She blew more and with every bubble she made, somehow Neji felt better.

He reached for some of them, trying to hold one in his hand and see it up close. But, of course, they popped even before he could grab a hold of them. Before the two of them knew it, Neji was enjoying himself, gazing at the spheres and sometimes trying to catch them.

Tenten would snicker at how adorable her new friend looked as he reached for the bubbles she made. Later on, he gave blowing them a try and most of his attempts ended up in vain. Still, he tried until he got it right.

"Well, Neji?" Tenten began, blowing some more bubbles for him, "What did I say? I knew it would make you feel better."

Upon hearing that, he realized that she was right. He _did_ seem to have a lighter feeling inside, as if the bubbles encased his sadness and fears inside their glass walls and soon, they'd pop with the troubles, making them disappear.

"Yeah. You're right…" he muttered, finally able to let a bubble land on his palm without popping it in the process. "What's your name again?" Neji asked, slightly embarrassed. The girl turned to him and giggled, "It's Tenten. Don't forget it."

Then and there, Neji formed a heartfelt smile since his series of tears. He has found a friend. "Tenten…" he repeated, "I won't forget that."

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He walked through the streets of Konoha once again, just like everyday. It was half-past nine o'clock and he wasn't even supposed to leave the Hyuga Manor at this time of the night.

Heaving a sigh, Neji glanced around. He leaned on the metal post nearby, the one where the busted street lamp has always stood. His hands were kept in his pockets as he waited for her…

"Hi, Neji." A feminine voice called from behind him. He heard her but he didn't bother to turn for he knew that she'd be walking up to him anyway. "You're late." He sternly said, seeing her finally standing beside him.

She gave him a light pat on the shoulder and apologized sweetly, "Sorry. I had to convince my parents to go out for a while. I'm not like you, just creeping out of his window without permission."

Neji chuckled and said, "My dad could've allowed me." With that remark, Tenten just managed to grin and asked him, "Well, shall we begin?"

He nodded and said, "Go ahead, Tenten. I just need to think for a while first."

Rolling her eyes, Tenten said, "Neji, it's your father's death anniversary today. You shouldn't be thinking of anything else aside from him, you know." Shrugging, Neji said, "Alright."

The two sat on the pavement, Neji's right knee brushing against Tenten's left. Tenten opened her side pouch and joked, "How's your tattoo?"

Neji slightly grinned and answered, "It still hurts, like always. But not that much anymore." Soon, he found Tenten starting to blow through the bubble wand's hoop. "I hope it hasn't been affecting your performance in training." She said as she dipped the bubble wand in the liquid again.

She once again blew a set of bubbles, making them fly with the mild night breeze. "You don't cry anymore, right?" Tenten said as she blew some more bubbles.

He gave her a mildly irritated look and said, "I stopped crying on this day years ago, Tenten."

"You were crying the first time we did this." She said, turning to him. Tenten saw the gloomy look in his eyes and she also noticed that he seemed more dismayed than before.

At that, Tenten questioned him, "Neji, what's the matter? I'm sure you're still sad about your father, especially since today is his death anniversary but something tells me that there's something else bothering you."

He couldn't hide anything from Tenten, definitely. So, he rested his chin on his hand and admitted, "I was just thinking of my curse mark. Was I really destined to live this way?"

Realizing this, Tenten tapped his shoulder to catch his attention. Once she got his full attention, she dipped her bubble wand into the bottle and blew once again. This time, she formed numerous bubbles, too many to count. They all floated freely, gleaming under the sky.

Seeing that made Neji carve a somewhat amused smile and he asked Tenten, "Is that what you wanted me to see, Tenten?"

She nodded and explained as she rested her head on his shoulder, pointing at the glass spheres that were now slowly flying away, "You see those bubbles, Neji? One day, you'll be flying free like them. And I'm going to be here, helping you achieve that dream. Bet on it."

With that, Neji grinned and tilted his head enough to make it touch Tenten's. The two sat side by side on the sidewalk, the very same place they first met, still staring at the bubbles like how they did when they were still children.

"Isn't it childish of us to still be enjoying the sight of bubbles, Tenten?" Neji asked, wondering. After rolling her eyes, Tenten murmured, "Hm, admit it, Neji. You like it when I blow bubbles for you."

Chuckling, Neji said, "Alright, alright. So I do."

_One day, you'll be flying free like them._

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**This isn't my best work, I think. I'm sorry if it's not that good. So, so sorry. But if you liked it, that's great!**

**Reviews and feedback are highly encouraged, needed, appreciated and wanted. There's nothing to lose.**

**By the way, I hope you guys didn't think Neji was OOC. Think about it. He's not! xD! Thanks!**


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